>> this is "bbc world news." funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its global expertise to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you?

>> and now, "bbc world news." >> the security transition in afghanistan -- after america, britain confirmed plans to step back from combat duties. visiting afghanistan, of princeton -- british prime minister cameron says he was confident the country will be able to look after its own security by 2014. >> as we see a stronger and more confident afghan national army, stronger police -- many of whom we trained ourselves -- and also local police, i do think it is right to start planning the withdrawal of some of our troops. welcome to "gmt." also on this program --

newspaper executives are expected to meet british police today over allocation the phones of a murdered teenage girl was attacked -- allegations. back and in fighting spirit. the venezuelan president makes a surprise return from cuba following treatment for cancer. it is midday here in london, 7:00 a.m. in washington, d.c., and mid afternoon in afghanistan where nato has confirmed the death of another four of its soldiers. they were killed in the east of the country where foreign troops, mostly american, are battling a fierce taliban insurgency. and despite previous losses, both americans and british leaders do believe the tide is turning against the taliban. on a visit to afghanistan to the british prime minister david cameron confirmed he is planning to withdraw more combat troops in the coming years.

here is our world affairs correspondent. >> david cameron's latest comesa critical time. there's talk of a new phase as plans are to advance to withdraw some forces. yesterday he met both british and american troops in helmand province. on the death of the same day of the british shoulder of the lines of dangerous the situation is. in kabul today with president hamid karzai, mr. cameron said he is confident over all things were on track. >> i do believe that it is right, as we build up the afghan national security forces, as we see a stronger and more confident afghan national army, stronger afghan police, many of whom we trained ourselves, and also the local police, i do believe it is right to start planning the withdrawal of some of our troops. as i say, we start with 9500, there are 426 coming home, over and above the 9500, and i will

talk to the house of commons tomorrow about a modest reduction that will take place next year. >> the afghan president says his people have to take charge of their own security. >> this, of course, does not mean there should be a sudden and immediate end to assistance to afghanistan or to cooperation between afghanistan and its allies, like the united kingdom. but a process in which afghanistan increasingly becomes in charge of its own affairs, all of its affairs, and where increasingly we are no longer a burden on our allies. >> increasingly, time lines are being set. british combat operations in afghanistan will finish by the end of 2014. but david cameron says there will be a long-term relationship to build the country based around trade, diplomacy, and military training. >> let's take a look at some of

the other stories making headlines around the world today. beginning with british prime minister david cameron's comments, shocked and allegations that a mobile phone belonging to a british girl nine years ago was hacked into by a private detective working for "the news of the world." they say they've only made aware of the allegations on monday. >> it is the most serious allegation yet in the phone hacking -- that a missing girls of voice mail was intercepted and a police investigation potentially compromised. >> as a lawyer you are kind of used to hearing fairly awful disinformation -- i got goose bumps. it is one of the most despicable things. >> it is alleged that this man, a private investigator, carried out the hacking and deleted some

of the voice mail messages to make space for new ones. news international says these new allegations were of great concern and they will be cooperating fully with the police. her family was told the news about the elected hacking in april but it has only just become public knowledge. the becker brooks was editor of "news of the world" at the time and now she is rupert murdoch that a chief executive in the u.k. and he is involved in a controversial move to take colds -- full control of bskyb. last night the labor leaders said it is beyond believe anyone would undertake such a cruel and immoral act. but some in parliament say that political leaders have been too easily cowled by the power of the murdoch empire. >> it is time they acted. politicians are frightened of a news international and they need to act.

>> there were calls for a full judge-led inquiry into what happened in the case and many others. >> president hugo chavez of venezuela told state television he doesn't expect to attend tuesday that the celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of independence from spain. he made a surprise return from cuba where it he spent nearly a month getting cancer treatment. he addressed thousands of his supporters from his balcony vowing he would win the battle to regain his health. >> a triumphant return for a grateful president. hugo chavez greeted thousands of supporters in his first public appearance in several weeks, thanking them for their good wishes. >> i salute from here, and my personal thanks from so much support, from so many manifestations of love -- love

it is the best medicine for any illnesses. thanks for it. not just from venezuela but from all over the world. >> the president had been absent from venezuela for over four weeks after he took ill during an official visit to cuba. at first announcing he was suffering from a pelvic abscess, later revealing he was being treated for cancer. he timed his arrival in venezuela carefully, returning ahead of independence day celebrations. , though he says he probably won't be able to attend a military parade tuesday because of the state of his health. the news of his return has been greeted with delight by thousands who had taken to the streets of caracas over the weekend to show their support for the president. he had avoided the public eye while abroad, but his ministers insist he remains able to run the country from a bond of. others feel he handled the

situation that they. >> venezuela needs a good doctor and not necessarily fidel castro. we need a government that can leave behind pilots, confrontations from a government that guarantees their rules of the game here in venezuela. >> both detractors and supporters are eagerly awaiting to see if the president's illness will affect his ability to lead the country or if it will be business as usual. bbc news, correct as. >> to the explosions killed more than 30 people in an iraqi town just north of the capital baghdad. officials said the blast happened almost simultaneously at a government building that issues identity cards. one official says the first explosion was a car bomb and the building was full of people at the time. the european food safety authority said the shipment of seeds from egypt is the likely source of the e. coli epidemic that has been sweeping europe since may.

more than four bows and people have been affected and so far the strain has killed 51 people. police in the australian state of new south wales will have the power demand the removal of burke as another face coverings to identify people suspected of committing crimes. the law is being changed in reaction to and high-profile sydney case involving a muslim woman and a police officer during a routine traffic stop. aid agencies are warning that people's lives are at risk as east africa faces what is being described as the worst drought for decades. a up to 10 million people in the horn of africa are affected by food shortages and tens of thousands of them have been on the move. or corresponded ben brown is at a refugee camp at the somali- kenyan border. >> some have walked for days, some four weeks. it is a long, desperate track

that comes from villages in somalia all the way to kenya where we are now. we followed when a group of some of the villagers this morning who have been on the road for about five days. the children were barefoot. they have nothing on their feet. the parents have and the water canisters and no food to speak of. even when people get here, the ordeal is not necessarily over because the camp has been so overwhelmed with people. aid agencies are finding it hard to cope. there is a backlog of new arrivals. people are telling us they have to wait for a long time, four days, -- to register and get proper food rations. they are all trying to escape the drought which is, according to the u.n., the worst in about 60 years. it has not rained in this region properly for two years running. this drought, the fear is this could turn into a famine as the world doesn't act very quickly indeed to get more aid resources

in here very fast. they are doing their best to help people. for example, we see doctors working round the clock to save lives. the children go right here are very malnourished and susceptible to bonuses, disease, pneumonia, diarrhea. and even people as they get to the camp are dying. >> now let's return to our story on mobile phone hacking year in britain. prime minister david cameron says allegation that a mobile phone belonging to a young girl who was murdered nine years ago is shocking and appalling. the wheat will speak now to our political correspondent who joins us live up from central monk -- london on the face of this, and look primarily at like a problem for news international but is there a political dimension? >> there are several political dimensions. one of them, for example, is rebecca brooks, the u.k. chief executive of news corp. here in

britain, she is a close personal friend of the prime minister, and now she is in the firing line because she was editor of the "news of the world" at the time of these latest allegations. it is one of the things where there is a lot of scrutiny on the politicians. remember, david karen originally hired another former editor of the news of the world as his media communications guru and he subsequently had to resign. these executives said all along they did not know anything about it and the phone hacking scandal was just a few rolled reporters -- rogue reporters. that defense has been unraveling for months and now there has been political pressure calling for a full public inquiry after the police as look into this again. >> thanks. a story developing at some speed. of course, we will bring all of these developments here. still to come -- for good shima,

months after the nuclear crisis we need some families still wondering if they will ever return home -- fukushima. on the latest leg of their tour of canada, the duke of budgets of cambridge will visit one of the countries most remote and unpopular regions. yellowknife is the capsule of the northwest territories and known for its midnight sun. it remains the same whether they have enough energy to stay up to see it because they have been so busy during this trip. but does get -- let us get the latest from our correspondent. >> they are almost halfway through their canadian tour. heading from the atlantic coast to canada that a far north. staff -- a memorable day for them both. for william it was the day he learned a new skill as a search and rescue pilot -- called a water birding, landing a helicopter on water, a technique that canadians have perfected

but is not standard practice 40 raf. kate watched as william made more than a dozen landings from different angles and simulating different conditions. according to those who know about these things, he displayed is significant level of piloting skills. then it was kate's turn, joining william for a dragon votes -- both -- boat race. everyone was friendly to each other until the starting, and then a curious dash to the finishing line. william's crew we got there first. possibly a fleeting thought to push him in. but the winners champaign was definitely william's. we have seen members of the whale family joining in things before. what is different is william and kate both seemed both unselfconscious lead to enjoy it. at no point, did they appear to

want to rush. they appeared at ease with each other and the crowds. bbc news, prince edward island. >> this is "gmt" from bbc world news. our headline today -- laying out long term. of the british prime minister visits afghanistan as his forces began the handover to local security. newspaper executives are expected to meet british police today over allegations of the phone of a murdered teenage girl was attacked. now, aaron is here with business. people might be surprised but the clock is ticking on u.s. debt. >> the question is to default first -- greece of the u.s. unthinkable but the potential, i have to say, is certainly there.

u.s. senators return to work early this tuesday to address the country that a looming debt limit. the lawmakers have cut short their week-long independence day vacation at the urging of president obama. he wanted them to raise the debt ceiling limit to rent the country from running out of money in four weeks. here is the problem -- the republicans and democrats can't agree on what conditions to attach. ♪ >> celebrations for america's independence day. but there could be fireworks inside congress this week as lawmakers tussle over the conditions to impose on any increasing government borrowing. the u.s. already owes a staggering $14.30 trillion, but without raising the debt ceiling, the world's most powerful economy risks a default for the first time ever. >> the is a potential for defaults of u.s. debt, which has

a potential to be catastrophic as far as the u.s. financial markets. it would also mean the u.s. has to pay higher interest rates when they want to borrow money. it could also, i think, really be something that of the u.s. taxpayer could get really upset about. >> default is highly unlikely. but if it starts to happen, but it would be a huge -- to the u.s. economy and the world. but republicans say they will only raise the debt limit if the government makes big spending cuts. opposition democrats argue taxes must rise to, especially for the rich, but to rain -- rein in the debt. >> the distance they seem to have to bridge in the short timeframe is pretty significant. a lot of people are concerned, everyone is talking like they are going to get a deal but they definitely have some work to do and someone is going to of to get pretty significantly in the near term. >> so far the political left and right have refused to compromise

on their tax and spending ideas. and yet, america of's treasury start -- a debt default by the world's biggest economy is still a worst case scenario. but it is one that is getting closer by the day. bbc news, new york. >> let's move on, because your's efforts to impose an emission charged on the world airlines -- europe's efforts to impose an initial charge of the world airlines. there demanding the plan to be struck down claiming it overstepped its jurisdiction it means all airlines must buy permits to cover carbon emissions regardless bid to where they are in it. ken jenkins explains why the u.s. airlines so concerns. >> they see this as a creep of legislation over the borders of europe, tackling other countries. why should u.s. carriers be involved? do what you want with european carriers. but u.s. airlines, if they step

down, take off, they will be -- and land at european airports, they will be targeted, to. the americans call it a judicial land grab, and want tit-for-tat legislation or even a world trade war on this issue. they want this to be instead a more global,, print the package that all nations negotiate together. >> a quick look of the market, starting in asia. markets in asia stalled on tuesday after the comments were brought to you yesterday about greece -- standard and poor's, underlying that greece with its mountain of debt and may not be able to avoid defaulting. oil falling below $95 a barrel and the dollar rose against the yen. this is what the european markets are doing as we speak. even though there is a little bit of breathing time for greece and the whole eurozone that prices it still is in focus. >> speak to you again and a half hour. the japanese government has suffered a further setback with

the resignation of the minister for reconstruction just a week after he took the job. he was criticized for offending victims of the march earthquake and tsunami during a visit to the worst affected area and the northeast. he said communities would receive no help unless they came up with ideas themselves. among those affected by the earthquake and tsunami, people forced to leave their homes in the immediate this book -- vicinity of the fukushima nuclear plant. they still have no idea when they will be able to return. as part of our power of asia serious, our reporter travel outside the 20 kilometer exclusion zone. >> the homes are abandoned, the area sealed off. this is the edge of the exclusion zone around the fukushima nuclear power station. the only vehicles allowed in our carrying emergency workers on their way for another shift at

the plant. after explosions and knelt down, the reactors are still not under control. the plan is to stabilize them by january at the latest. but for now, the plant continues to leak radiation. even towns just outside the exclusion zone have been blasted by the disaster. radiation levels are higher than normal and many people have chosen to leave. this family have been living in a hotel room since the middle of march. it is a six-hour drive inland. all they brought with them is what they could carry on the bus. the children are fitting in at the local school, but their mother can't forgive the power company for destroying their old life. >> i was born in that town.

but when i think about what is best for my children, i can't go back. >> just down the road is another family who fled the nuclear crisis. course to start, o again after losing everything. he already opened a new noodle restaurant to replace the one he left behind. >> what happened has happened. so, as far as i am concerned, how i am going to rebuild my life is more important than anything else. ♪ >> he also used to run a karaoke

bar and renowned for their performances. the song is about a yearning for home. but cleaning up around fukushima will take years, and they already decided they are never going back. bbc news, in northern japan. >> i am joined from tokyo via web can buy masimoto from the red cross society. we've got the minister for reconstruction resigning, still concerned about when families will be able to return to their homes. how do you assess the current state of the reconstruction effort? >> thank you for having me tonight. the japanese red cross have been sending medical teams to the evacuation centers within the fukushima prefecture and also have consulted psychologists who

are consulting the people who came out of the fukushima and staying in a hotel in tokyo. and also would provide the medical services for the people who temporarily can go into this explosion -- exclusion zone. and also for the people who started to live in temporary housing -- public provided homes. they have been given the electronic -- like microwave or tv. those are supported by the european union money. >> you are talking about the european union, and the japanese red cross. what about the japanese government, and the minister who was only on the job for a week? are dissatisfied with the support the japanese government is giving to people in need? -- argues satisfied? >> yes, there have been some

deficit -- difficulties, like the japanese government or tepco, informing information to the people. the people did not believe any announcement or information. they don't believe or they can't trust the information from tepco and the government, and it gives extra anxiety about their safety or when they can go back. so, it is very difficult. but i am sure the local government people, the people working in the municipalities and the perfect your level, everybody involved is working really hard. >> thank you for coming in to explain the situation -- the importance of local officials. many thanks. and reminder of our top story -- british prime minister david cameron has confirmed that more british troops are to be withdrawn from afghanistan. thank you very much for joining

us. of course, we will have more here on "gmt" live on abc world news. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank.

>> union bank has put its global financial strength to work for a wide range of s. oie whacao n dwefor you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.